Blood of the Wolf
by Silence In Winter
Summary: Devouring livestock and picking off the scouts the titans leave, dire wolves have been nothing but a thorn in the side of the Regiment. Everything changes when a girl thought dead appears riding the back of a wolf with titan-green eyes that she calls her brother. Naturally, Levi would like to keep them both as pets. Eren x Levi, wolf!Eren, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/B: OMG so twhy is this ship so perfect I can't breathe. And, yes... another fic with wolves in it. Because I can. Plus, wolf!Eren just seems so badass to me.**

 **Blood of the Wolf**

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The glen was dotted with sheep the color of clouds. Ewes tended to their charges whilst nibbling the sweet grass at their hooves. Shaggy dogs trotted around the borders, keeping the sheep in a wide circle but allowing them to graze. Peasants with crooks stood on the outer edges but their duties were pithy in comparison to what was hiding in the trees.

Sheep didn't attract titans. This much was known. Humans however, could quickly attract a menace. Although they were in the wilds of Wall Maria, they were not far from the city, meaning any appearance of a titan here could quickly become a state of emergency. Therefore, these sheep and inevitably their shepherds were worth more than the coins in their pockets. After the loss of Wall Maria, pastures were scarce. Thus, the shepherds had military protection when grazing their flock in an attempt to keep the meat market from collapse.

Jean tapped his shoes against the tree branch he sat on, sighing. A tame job for a scout, he wasn't trying to complain. However, he had thought joining the Scout Corps would mean more titan sightings. Armin had been lucky enough to be sighted by Levi early on. The exceptionally awful part was that it had nothing to do with his innate fighting abilities but intelligence alone. All of the work Jean had put into the academy had been wasted, first by his snap judgment to join the scouts and now from Levi overlooking him.

"Jean!" Turning, he saw Sasha a stone's throw in another tree. "Look what I found!" She held two blushing apples. She tossed one to Jean.

"Thanks. Where'd you find these?"

She gestured to the other side of the field. "Over there."

"You're... skipping around? Aren't you out of formation?"

Sasha shrugged. "I mean... yeah, but nothing ever happens anyway."

An ewe lifted her head, bleating desperately. A few others picked up their heads, a wave of tension beginning to ripple through the herd. One of the shepherds began to approach the bleating ewe, its lamb slowly loping back to the call of its mother.

"Sahsa, look." Jean pointed to the dog nearest them. It's yellow eyes were focused on the dark of the woods. Yellow teeth born, its hackles were raised.

Sasha pulled out the triggers of her ODM. "Is it a titan?"

"I don't know." Jean looked to Sasha, her eyes intent on the forest. Sweat beaded on her forehead and he could see her hands shaking. He looked down at the dog. Or at least, where it had been.

"Wha—"

A wolf burst from the forest, grabbing the bleating ewe in its jaws. Black as a sin and just as spiteful, it stood higher than any beast of burden. Even from across the field Jean could see the ripple of muscles beneath its thick coat. It's eyes were the color of envy, their calculating power boring into the farmer before him.

Jean attached blades to his triggers and took off towards the animal. Beneath him, the sheep were beginning to scatter. Frantic dogs barked at the sheep, trying to bring them into submission but the fear in their eyes had infected their judgement.

With a cry, Jean brought himself down towards the wolf. He bore both of his blades but they ricocheted at the last minute, sending him spiraling to the ground among the sheep. Quickly, Jean curled up and covered his head against their stampede.

"How?" he heard Sasha scream. "Who are you?"

Jean didn't have time to stand before a massive paw cleared the sheep from around him. Everything felt cold, until the breath of the wolf was on his sweaty neck.

"Eren, no!" A woman spoke. It's licked its teeth but with a final snort, the wolf turned away. Before Jean could relax, hands grabbed his wrists, pulling them tightly behind his waist. A small knee dug into his spine, forcing his face into the dirt. Whomever was on top of him was lithe, albeit strong.

"Sahsa!" Jean managed, spitting dirt. "Call for—Ah!" The knee wedged itself deeper into his back.

She leaned forward, her voice delicate yet strong enough to carry over the cries of the sheep. "Would you rather I feed you to my brother?"

"B-Brother...?"

"You bitch!" It was Sasha. Fully in the middle of the pasture, exposed, she was here to save him. The woman was off and Jean stumbled to his feet. Swinging without finesse, Sasha was parrying the woman's bone hewn blade that somehow stood up against Sasha's steel. Her midnight hair was pulled back in a weak ponytail and even through the shaggy clothes Jean could see she was as starved as the wolf.

Jean launched himself forward at her, but she leaped gracefully out of the way of his attack.

"Jean!" Sahsa said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes!" He said. "Where's the wolf?"

"Ah—" Sasha looked to her left where the wolf wrestling an ODM pack from its mouth, a bleeding leg still tangled within the fastenings.

"That's—"

"Sasha, look out!" Jean dove forward, using his blade to counter the woman's attack.

With a yip, Sasha stumbled, falling on her bottom. The woman began to round again when the snap of a flare stopped everyone, its purple tail stretching miles up. For a long breath, the wolf stared at Sasha, still sitting on her rump whilst Jean stood between her and the wild-woman. Then the wolf lunged. Screaming, Sasha covered her face as though her arms would stop his fangs from lacerating her flesh.

A loud bang and the animal fell in a heap beside Sasha, it's jaws open, hot tongue lolling out. A man in a cloak the color of the forest was standing on the shoulder of the animal, its eyes closed but twitching. He pulled his hood down and looked to Sasha.

"Are you alright?"

"C-Captain Levi! I—I—"

A war cry and the woman veered from Jean and dove for Levi, who calmly raised one of his swords to block her wild swings. It was at that moment that the wolf found its feet, standing so abruptly as to knock Levi off. Grabbing a tuft of fur, the woman pulled herself onto the wolf's shoulders. The animal snapped at the captain, who dodged backwards, standing protectively in front of Sasha.

"Now this is interesting." Levi muttered.

The woman raised her blade, silently gesturing to Levi and Sasha . But the wolf was still. He no longer bore his teeth, instead his nostrils flared. No one moved. When a cool wind blew past, the wolf's hackles began to prickle. Another flare popped off, this one green in color and close.

From the forest emerged a scout riding on a horse. "Captain, there's a—"

A titan shattered a tree as it dove to catch the rider. Fat fingers wormed across the dirt as it tried to find its feet. Ugly, protruding jaws opened and closed with anticipation.

The wolf charged past Jean, Levi and Sasha, ripping across the field in pursuit of the titan. The woman was huddled low to its back, holding on with both hands now as he flew through the dregs of the herd. Vaulting over the horse and rider, the wolf lept at the titan, who opened its arms to try and catch the its opponent. It landed against the titan's chest, fixing its teeth deep into the skin of its right shoulder. In turn, the titan gripped the wolf's upper legs and attempted to return the bite.

The woman catapulted herself off of the face of the wolf to to sink her blade into one of the titan's eyes. The titan recoiled, but still gripped the wolf. Using his bite as purchase, the wolf pulled sharply to the right, taking the titan to the ground as he did so. The woman was flung from the titan's face, landing in a heap near the base of a tree.

"Petra!" Levi shouted. "Catch her!"

The rider rounded, circling back to where the woman had fallen.

"Are you insane?" Jean asked, catching a look from Sasha.

Levi didn't even bother to look over his shoulder. "She's valuable."

The titan was struggling against the wolf, trying to stand as the it used all of its strength to keep the monster on the ground. Its nubby fingers were digging into the wolf's stomach, but the animal kept its teeth in the titan's shoulder, using his claws to maw its chest. When the titan tried to bite the wolf's leg, it sprang back only to pounce again, this time capturing the titans entire face in its jaws.

The wolf was squeezing, a low moan now emanating from the titan. The wolf let go briefly, using his massive paw to turn the chewed head of the titan sideways so he could sink his teeth into the nape of his enemy. A snapping of bone and flesh and the wolf separated he head from its body.

Jean and Sasha stared, trying to see through the dust. The animal was breathing heavily over the steaming body of the titan. Its coal-black fur tainted with shades of red, some of which that evaporated and some that did not.. Opening its mouth, it let the head fall with a muted thump. Then the wolf turned, teeth born, eyes alight. They fixated on Jean.

"Captain!" It was Petra. The woman was bundled in Petra's cloak and thrown over the back of the horse, her hands bound. The wolf howled, charging. Petra slapped her horse's rump, sending it off towards Levi and the others while Petra fired her grappling to escape.

"Take it alive."

"What!?" Jean said. "Are you kidding?"

"It killed a titan." Levi supplied. "I want it taken alive."

Jean stared at the back of his captain's head, sweating.

Petra dove to another branch as the wolf descended on her tree of choice. From her belt, she pulled her flare gun and fired a round into the air. A purple flare spiraled into the sky.

"Grab the horse, Jean." Levi instructed before vaulting off to join Petra. Jean did as he was told, catching Petra's horse as it neared.

The woman tshook off the hood, snarling at Jean. He grimaced but looked to her bound hands. She thrashed her wrists and snarled but the iron had tamed her for now.

"Look!" Sasha pointed. Levi and Petra were circling the massive wolf, it's eyes darting between the two of them as it tried to decide which one to take first. Levi landed on a branch, resting for a half a breath more than typical and the wolf saw his supposed weakness. It lunged, jaws open.

From the forest came another bang, and the wolf fell to the ground again.

"More cannons?" Sasha whispered.

Levi descended, falling onto the face of the wolf. Snarling, it tried to find its feet but began to slip on its own blood. Coughing, the wolf shifted its weight to the other side. Levi noted that the last cannon had impeccably struck it's hips, widening a wound from the titan and crushing bones. He couldn't have aimed it better if he had done it himself.

"Come on then." Levi whispered. "I'm right here."

The wolf propelled itself forward for one more attack. Easily, Levi danced to the side, letting the animal eat dirt. Another cannon fired, catching the wolf in the shoulder. Again, the beast fell. Levi said nothing, giving it time to round.

A loud silence.

"Eren!" The woman began rattling her cuffs on the back of Petra's horse who snorted in protest.

"Eren!" She screamed again. "Eren get up! Eren!" She was shouting so hard she spit. Tears were creating white streaks down her ruddy cheeks but still her eyes were on the wolf. "Get up! Change! Run! EREN!"

Levi returned his swords to their hilts. Raising one hand, he spoke. "Take it."

"Hey," Jean reached to touch her head. "It's okay, he's—"

Rounding, she grabbed Jean's finger her mouth and bit as hard she could. Crying out, Jean pulled his throbbing digit back.

Scouts descended from the trees, wrapping chains around the muzzle of the animal. Stakes were quickly hammered into its fore paws to keep it still. They had begun to bind its hind paws when the wolf's green eyes flashed open. When it found its mouth was tied like a dog, the wolf began thrashing its hind legs wildly, catching a scout and slamming him hard enough against a tree that he didn't get up. With his fore limbs clasped he couldn't stand but its rear legs thrashed wildly.

"Load a harpoon in the cannon." Levi instructed. "Hit its hip where the last round was fired."

From the brush came a hooked grapple, shooting into the open wound on the wolf's hip. It cried in pain and tried to pull itself away.

"Tighten the line." Levi said.

As the scouts reeled the line in, the animal lost purchase, slipping to its belly again as it sobbed.

"No!" The woman screamed, still thrashing on the back of the horse. Jean did nothing this time. "Eren!"

The wolf turned, his eyes catching the woman on the horse. It's muscle tensed.

"Pull it in a little more." said Levi.

"Anymore and it's going to start ripping its muscles out." The scout said.

Levi just looked at the soldier who promptly began reeling the line in more.

It sounded like rough fabric being cut. Blood began to run down the wolf's hind leg. With a whimper, it relaxed into the ground and closed its eyes. When Jean looked at the woman again she was sobbing quietly.

–

Hanji's study was perhaps the creepiest place on the base. Stuffed birds, skeletal remains of titan spew, and oddly colored vials of ghastly things seemed to decorate any available space. There were seldom booklets of anything because she preferred to scribble and doodle on loose leaf sheets and leave them in piles. It wasn't clear if Levi never came because he trusted her entirely or he simply couldn't exist in such a chaotic space.

"Here!" She said, depositing a skinned lamb leg in the scout's unsuspecting arms. "Take that downstairs, would you? I'm sure he's awake by now."

"Uhm, o-okay..." He gulped.

She wagged a finger. "Just be careful! He seems a bit snappy."

Nodding, the scout left her study and headed for the stairs. As a new recruit, he hadn't been privy to the knowledge of where they took the feral woman but he doubted they would have released her into the custody of the king. Her bond with the wolf would undoubtedly valuable, especially to Levi.

As he descended into the dungeon, he expected to hear the rumble of the wolf, the scrape of talons on the cold stone. Yet, the only sound he heard was labored breathing. Then, a cough. It almost sounded like a child with a cold.

The scout relaxed a touch, approaching the massive iron bars at the back of the dungeon with slight confidence that the creature was indisposed. However, it proved hard to see in the bleak light of the dungeon. What was unmistakably missing was the massive hulk of wolf that the scout had been told would occupy this cell. In it's place was a boy lying face down on the stone.

No, not a boy. Curled against his leg was the black tail of a wolf. From his head were two pointed and furry ears. One twitched as the scout approached, but nothing else moved.

"H-Hello..."

The boy on the floor opened one eye, green as a jealous lover. They moved from the young scout's face to the meat in his arms, then blinked.

"I brought this for you." The scout said, sliding it between the bars. "I can't get it over to you, so you'll have to come over here, I think." He gave it a little shove but it still didn't go very far.

The boy opened both eyes and stared at the meat for a long moment. He shifted, grimaced, then relaxed again. The scout expected him to stand, but instead the boy just closed his eyes again.

"Oh, here." The young scout stuck his leg into the cage. The wolf-eared boy's eyes flickered to it, but the scout used his boot to kick the meat closer. Now, the boy was watching.

Raising one hand, he reached for the hock. Grabbing the bone end, he slowly pulled it to his chest where he began to lick it.

The scout smiled. "Better?"

The wolf-eared boy said nothing.

"Good. By the way," the scout sat beside the cage, hugging his knees to his chest. "I'm Armin."

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 **A/N: I've been wanting to do something kawaii with Armin for AGES! WHY IS HE SO SMART AND CUTE it should be illegal but I'm glad it's not. Thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**S/N: Wow, this update is incredibly late but HERE IT IS! Thanks to ShadowKisser and several others for pestering me for an update, I literally thought no one was interested but I'm glad to see I was wrong. Paradox is still my main work right now but this one is definitely still in the mix. Anyway, thanks for the reads and review my lovelies!**

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 **Blood of the Wolf**  
 **Chapter 2  
**

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Armin slammed the leather-bound book so hard against the table it knocked Jean's tea over. "He talks about fairies!"

"Armin!" Jean stood and tried pathetically to mop up the tea with a wad of napkins. "What on God's earth are you even talking about?"

"The wolf!" Armin lifted the book from the table. The fading gold emboss of the title was fading, but Jean could read _Grimm's Fairy Tales_ in script Jean had only seen on the forbidden books of the old world. "He tells stories kind of like these but better! More about the forest and the animals, you know?"

"Ugh," Jean sat back in his seat, staring at his plate. The brisket Sasha had made was now swimming in lukewarm tea. "I know you're all buddy buddy with Hanji but it's kind of creepy that you're talking to it. I mean, isn't it a wild animal that ate, like, four people? It might as well be a titan." Would Hanji love it any less? Definitely not, but the rest of the populace would at least agree with Jean.

Armin wrapped his arms around the book and squeezed it to his chest. "Shouldn't we learn about them? I mean, speaking of titans, have you ever seen anything so capable of killing a titan?"

"Yes. Lance Corporal Levi Ackerman."

"No, just remember it for a minute, Jean." Armin set the book down, this time gently. "Don't you remember when it jumped on the titan? How it couldn't get away Eren just ripped it apart?"

The savage teeth riving the titan's head from its body; the terrifying image of its eyes gleaming in the wisps of evaporating titan blood. That beast's great teeth, trembling against the fading shin bone of a titan. This was the thing Armin was hand feeding.

"Wait," Jean leaned closer. "Did you just call it Eren?"

Armin squirmed.

"Did you name this thing?"

"Well, _I_ didn;t name him." Armin stood, tucking the book under his arm.

"I still think it's a bad idea. Like, a really bad idea."

"Well," Armin turned on his heels to face the door. "I guess it's a good thing I don't need your permission."

Jean watched him leave, quietly admiring Armin's resolve despite the nature of the animal. It really took guts to make poor choices like this. Yet, somehow, with Armin it never turned out to be a poor choice. Something about that kid's intuition always ended in great things.

With a sigh, Jean picked up his plate and emptied the sloppy mess into the trash.

Leather straps bound her ankles and wrists to the bed post. Red marks had begun to appear where the cuffs chafed her sallow skin. Knots had tangled themselves all the way to her scalp from the magnitude of her thrashes. The scarf she had been wearing had come completely undone, resting in a red pool beside her head and the long white nightgown they had dressed her in had crept to her hips during her fits. When her eyes met Levi's she snarled through the gag in her mouth.

"She's the one who should be in a cage." Levi muttered.

"Well," Hanji took a moment to adjust her glasses. "We could do that."

"No," Levi kneeled beside her bed so he could look her right in the eye. "She seems to care so fervently about the wolf." At the mention of him, the woman tried to lunge at Levi but her fastenings held her in place. "He'll be the one to give us direct answers. At her expense."

She gave another great thrash, trying to pull her metal cuffs from the wooden bed rails. There was a crack and she started to pull harder. Without a word, Levi placed his fingertips on her exposed thigh.

And she was still. Her eyes were wide, her breath quick.

Levi tangled his fingers between the knots in her hair, forcing her to look at him. "That's what I thought." He stayed a moment, holding her head in place so she had to swallow his apathy. Then, he pulled his hand away, ripping tangles of black hair with it.

"Does she have a name that we know of?" As he spoke Levi was dusting her hair from his fingers.

"We think so." Hanji replied. "Her features are, uh, rather unique, so to speak, so there weren't that many possibilities. That being said, she seems to look quite similar to a little girl who disappeared twelve years ago."

"And the name?"

"Mikasa Ackerman."

"Ackerman, eh?" Levi looked back at the girl. She had become docile and was staring blankly at the wall. "That's interesting."

The heavy iron-wrought door was ajar, the bright light of the noon sun cutting the darkness just enough to illuminate the bars of the cage. Pacing the length of the cage was the wolf, but instead of the behemoth he had been he was no larger than a big dog. His tail was low but busy with agitation as he skulked from one corner to the next.

Armin scooted closer to the bars. "So tell me more about... maybe where you come from?"

The wolf's lips peeled back to show his teeth. "No."

"Oh." Armin sat back a little. "Well, then how you can talk, maybe?"

Now he stopped, taking a moment to stare quietly at Armin.

"Oh. Well," Armin scratched the back of his head. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just curious."

"I thought we were friends." The wolf said.

"Of course we are! Here, I even brought you something." From his pack Armin pulled the same book he had shown to Jean. "You were telling me about the fairies and other things in the forest. I thought maybe this would help?"

"Keh," he went back to pacing the cage. "Why would a book help? I can't even read."

"Arlert," Levi swung the door open the rest of the way. "I'll handle it from here." The wolf had retreated to the back of the cage where the light could not touch him. He had gone from a pensive walk to a hunched crouch, his burning eyes never leaving the corporal.

"L-Lance Corporal!" Armin lept deftly to his feet, dropping the book face open on the wet floor as he stiffly saluted Levi. "Sir, I was just—"

"I know Hanji gave you a little homework assignment." Levi said. "But you're excused from this afternoon."

"..Sir?"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "You're compassion is disgusting. Now take your book and go. It's getting ruined on this filthy floor."

"Ah!" Armin quickly scooped the book off the floor and began wiping the pages on his shirt.

"Arlert. Today."

"Sir! R-Right away!" Armin painfully closed the wet book but instead of leaving, he gave another salute. "But before I go... His name is Eren."

"A name, huh?" Levi crouched in front of the cave. The wolf was in the far corner, hackles raised. "Hanji said it could talk. Didn't know it had a name."

"He's really smart." Armin interjected. "He knows so much about the outside world. And titans, they can tell us about—"

"Thank you, Armin."

The sound of his first name silenced Armin. He looked once more at the wolf in the corner before quietly departing and closing the heavy door behind him. For a long moment neither Levi nor the wolf moved. They simply stared at each other, a low snarl coming from the animal's throat.

"Only one week and you've got a pet." Levi said coolly. "But that simple kid just thinks you're interesting. You tell him stories about forest sprites, not the humans you devour."

The wolf was quiet now, his ears up.

"So, I guess your name is Eren." Levi shrugged. "Then, Eren, did you realize that soldier you ate was one of Arlert's classmates?"

Eren lowered his head, his eyes leaving Levi.

"And you have the audacity to call him your friend?"

"He helped me. He fed me. He—"

"Obeys what I tell him. And I have the same expectation of you."

Snarling, the wolf charged the bars. He snapped at Levi even though a good six inches separated the two. Eren was snapping at the air, his shoulders straining against the thick iron bars as his claws raked the stone in a desperate attempt to maim the first piece of Levi he could grab.

"I thought you'd be more reasonable than your so called sister."

And with this the wolf was still again.

"You... you have Mikasa too?"

"So that is her name after all." Levi stroked his chin. "This is interesting."

"Wait!" In a breath, Eren was a gripping the bars with human hands and standing taller than Levi. The wolf ears atop his head were pricked up and alert. "You tell me what you did to her! Why isn't she here with me?"

"Reasons."

The ears on the boy's head flattened and he growled. "You're such an ass."

"I'd like to know how you do that."

"What?"

"How you look almost human." Levi asked. "Minus the... eh." He gestured towards the wolf ears and tail Eren was sporting.

"Don't change the subject!" Eren kicked the bars, causing them to rattle. "Where the hell did you take Mikasa? You didn't touch her did you?"

Levi rubbed his fingertips across his lips. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

An Eren was an animal again. He charged the bars for a second time, wrapping his jaws around a single bar and ripping desperately at it.

"She smells a little like lilac." Levi said.

Over and over again the metal rattled against his teeth. The brass key as his neck was clattering against the bars.

"There will be more questions." Levi continued. "And if we find your performance satisfactory then we may have a task for you. But if not," Levi looked to the closed door then back to Eren. "Who can say what will happen to you. Or her."

Eren shoved his head through the bars. He snapped at the air, his legs scraping against the floor as he tried to push his shoulders through.

Without hesitation Levi brought his foot down in an upper cut. He caught the wolf's snout under his heel and brought it crashing to the stone with a yelp. Keeping his foot firmly planted on the wolf's maw, Levi kneeled so he could hover over the animal's wide eyes.

"You were so big before." Levi dug his fingers into the thick fur on the side of its neck. His touch was almost soft; almost something Sadoring. "What happened? Are you tired, wolf?"

Snarling, the wolf pulled its head from under Levi's foot and snapped up his wrist. The fangs hit Levi's veins like lightning and for a moment all he could see was the bright blue flash of pain.

And then he saw the green of its eyes. Staring at him; mocking his control as it held his flesh in its teeth.

Levi grunted. "You bastard."

He slammed the bone of his knee into the wolf's windpipe. With a desperate gag, the animal seized, spitting out Levi's wrist. While it was stunned, Levi stood, using his good hand to hoist himself up. He raised his foot and kicked the wolf flat in the face, forcing the rest of it back through the bars where Eren landed as a heap in the corner.

Levi glared at the bundle of fur. "Don't disobey me again."

The wolf's eyes were open, holding Levi's own with an equal amount of disdain. Slowly, the wolf licked Levi's blood from its own lips.

Levi kicked the bars so hard the entire cage hummed.

And just like that, he was a boy again. A sad little thing with gaunt cheeks and a bruised collarbone. His tail was wrapped protectively around his legs but Eren was a fool to believe that sleek little number would save him from Levi's temper.

"You could drive me mad." Whispered Levi. "If I were to believe all of your tricks."

His handsome little face twisted into a serious pout. "Don't worry. I'll find yours before you find mine." And with that, Eren rolled over and curled up into a haphazard ball. Levi lingered a moment before leaving, ensuring he closed the dungeon door completely.

Armin was standing at the door, a red flush to his face. He still held the book tightly to his chest, the pages in the middle morphed from the water. When Levi looked to him Armin raised the book protectively for half of a second before remembering himself and giving Levi a salute.

"Arlert," Levi said.

"Yessir!"

"Get a collar on that dog." Levi raised his hand to examine the bleeding teeth marks in his arm. Armin gasped audibly.

"Did—did he—"

"Yes," Levi said. "Now get that collar. And a bandage."

"They're doing all the work for us." Hanji said. "All she had to hear were Eren's cries and she started talking about the forest." As she spoke, Hanji wrapped gauze around the wounds on Levi's wrist that she had just finished cleaning.

"And?"

"They live in the forests north of here, but she said she didn't know about the 'others,' whatever that means."

"Hmm," Levi flexed his left arm, pain crawling up his muscles. "She seems very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. I'd like to see more from her."

"Sir?"

"As I said before, I think the wolf will be our primary informant. She lets her emotions run away with her."

"You really think? It's her who started speaking."

"Paltry facts." Levi stood and walked to the window. "We knew of a pack in the north already. Anything happens to her brother and she breaks. Yet, she was able to disarm and hold down Jean. The wolf was not only willing to fight but landed a blow which is far more than she can say."

"To be fair," Hanji interjected. "If Mikasa hadn't been restrained, she may have fought you too."

"Eren found a way through me."

"Excuse me?"

"Eren found a way to fight. He's desperate and reckless because he has something to protect." Levi leaned against the wall. "He's not afraid to die if it means protecting whatever it is. The same cannot be said for this sister of his."

Hanji sat back and crossed her legs. "And how do you plan on extracting this information, my dear Levi?"

"No pet names, Four Eyes." Levi held his injured hand out again to observe the bandages. "We have to be smarter than the wolf. Let him think he is getting exactly what he wants while we use him to our ends."

"Mind games," Hanji smiled and balanced her chin on her hands. "Sounds like fun!"

"That's the guy who got me in the fucking hip with the cannon."

"I know, I know. Now hold still."

Eren caught Armin's wrist with his hand. "It hurts when you do that."

Gently Armin pulled himself free. "If you don't clean this out it will get infected and hurt worse. Just let me help you, okay?"

"I'm fine." Eren rested his head on the bars that separated them. "I can just lick it clean later."

"Eren, let me help you." Armin reached through the bars and began dabbing at the wounds on Eren's collarbone. "I can't do much but I can do this." Beneath his fingers he could feel Eren's tight muscles.

"I'd like to rip his throat out."

Armin was silent. He just kept at his work.

"Did you hear me, Armin?"

"Yes, I heard you."

"Aren't you going to scold me?"

"No," Armin wet another rag with antiseptic. "I'm not your mother. I'm just your friend. So that means I have to wholeheartedly support your bad decisions."


End file.
